Early Days Day Nursery

Dance twice a day, baking and children helping themselves at mealtimes give Early Days Day Nursery’s Health and Well-Being Room a practical purpose: movement and everyday independence share the same space. Alongside it are a baby room, a large toddler room, a pre-school room and an outdoor play area. There is room for active play and quieter moments.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, while identifying improvements needed in the sequencing of learning and staff development. Those points matter alongside the positive judgement: activities need to match what a child is ready to learn, rather than simply introduce the next task.

Based on Upper Chorlton Road in Manchester, the nursery has capacity for 90 children and accepts ages from 2 to 60 months. Private and funded childcare are offered, with flexible hours and schedules sometimes available.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room, large toddler room and pre-school room separate the main stages of nursery life, while the Health and Well-Being Room brings together supported self-service at dinner, baking and twice-daily dance. Its emphasis is practical: children have opportunities to practise doing things for themselves as well as moving their bodies.

Sensory rooms and quiet areas provide other spaces for exploration or rest. These sit alongside indoor and outdoor play areas, giving the day different settings rather than keeping every activity in one room.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and development, with children exploring ideas and developing skills through play. Resources cover its seven areas of learning; the nursery’s play-based approach gives children opportunities to experiment and follow their interests.

In April 2022, babies practised making marks with thick chalk, explored instruments and used a toy telephone in pretend play. Older children handled tweezers to pick up small objects. These examples show the different demands of early learning: controlling fingers, listening to sounds and using imagination each require their own opportunities.

Stories and songs also featured in April 2022, with staff encouraging children to repeat words and using familiar words from their home languages. This made language part of shared activity rather than a separate exercise. Children encountered Easter and Ramadan, while an interest in nearby roadworks led to meeting the builders and finding out about their work.

The April 2022 curriculum concern was specific. Some number-recognition tasks exceeded children’s developmental readiness, and pencil work was sometimes introduced before their hand muscles were ready. The important distinction is between having activities and ordering them well: early physical skills need attention before more demanding writing tasks.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor play area is part of the current provision. In April 2022, children used vehicles, chased bubbles and practised balance outside; babies climbed steps to a low-level slide. The combination gave them different ways to move, from climbing to steering and running.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2022, a key-person arrangement helped staff learn about individual children and support them through settling. Staff also helped children name feelings, share resources and respond kindly to friends. These are practical parts of learning to spend time in a group, especially for a child adjusting to unfamiliar routines.

Parents received information about care and learning in April 2022, and staff worked with external professionals and other settings to support children’s eventual move to school. That transition work concerned preparation and continuity of support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making good progress. This is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a promise about an individual child’s experience today.

Everyday independence was visible in April 2022: children practised using cups and cutlery and brushing their teeth. The current Health and Well-Being Room continues to provide an explicit setting for supported self-service, physical activity and baking, giving care routines a place in the nursery day.

A chef prepares fresh food on site each day, and meals cater for different dietary requirements. Food preparation within the setting makes meals part of its daily operation, alongside the children’s own baking activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Flexible hours and schedules are sometimes offered and can be tailored to parents’ needs, which may help families whose working patterns do not fit one fixed timetable.

Getting There

The address is 61 Upper Chorlton Road, Manchester, M16 7RQ, in Whalley Range. Families can enquire through the contact form or telephone 0161 264 4268.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private and funded places form part of the offer, including funded childcare for eligible children aged two to four. Eligibility remains a condition of that offer; it should not be read as an entitlement for every child in those age groups.

• Learning readiness and staff development. In April 2022, curriculum sequencing and the precision of professional development needed strengthening. On a visit, ask how activities now build from a child’s existing skills and how staff receive support to put that planning into practice.
• Settling and room size. The nursery has 90 places in total, spread across its provision. When visiting the baby room, ask about its usual group size and how the key person supports the transition from home.
• Funding and the total charge. Private and funded childcare sit alongside each other. Request a written quotation covering your intended attendance, the treatment of meals and consumables, and any additional charges before choosing a pattern.

Early Days suits families seeking play-based childcare and practical opportunities for children to become more independent, with flexible hours and schedules sometimes offered. The Health and Well-Being Room gives that offer a clear shape through dance, baking and supported mealtimes; the outdoor area adds another setting for physical play.

The Good judgement from April 2022 provides a positive inspection position, but the concerns about learning sequences and staff development deserve attention. For parents, the useful test is how the nursery matches each next activity to their child’s readiness.